ebooks Serving God and Country: United States Military Chaplains in World War II by Lyle W. Dorsett in History

Review

0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. A readable and inspirational historyBy Anson Cassel MillsLyle Dorsett is an academic historian; a Protestant clergyman; a former Marine reservist; and the owner of a small private museum of World War II artifacts that includes “scores of chaplains’ autobiographies.” Obviously; the topic had met the man long before Dorsett actually began his formal research. In writing this book; the author intended it not only to fill a gap in the history of World War II—arguing that chaplains “were absolutely essential to America’s victory”—but also to be inspirational; to challenge young Americans to consider becoming military chaplains themselves.Of course; World War II chaplains held religious services and offered personal counsel; but they had additional government mandated duties as well; such as keeping the grave registration and giving hortatory talks about sexual morality. Nevertheless; the best of the chaplains were flexible enough to give assistance wherever they could make a difference: everything from battlefield rescue; to assembling baseball equipment for bored soldiers; to protecting refugee women from the Russians; to comforting the wounded and dying and sending letters of condolence to their survivors. Dorsett especially endorses chaplains who were ecumenical in spirit and perhaps even overemphasizes the stories of Jewish chaplains; who were a tiny fraction of the total. Interestingly; the chaplaincy also seems to have been the first part of the U. S. military to have desegregated its professional training.The topic is an intriguing one; and Dorsett writes well enough. The weakness of this book is that it becomes; almost by necessity; a long series of anecdotes.2 of 2 people found the following review helpful. Great personal accounts and storiesBy LtCol ret E. Kennedy; Jr.Absolutely outstanding book about WWII U.S. chaplains. Great personal accounts and stories. Well-written and easy to read. Excellent resource on history of U.S. chaplains in WWII.4 of 4 people found the following review helpful. Lifting the Banner of Faith amid the Crucible of WarBy Derek AtkinsChaplain (Major General) William Arnold once observed; "Battles are won by military power; but wars are won by spiritual power." In this very well-researched book; Lyle W. Dorsett makes his case that America's military chaplains were indispensable to helping America secure victory against the Axis during world War II. In making his case; Lyle also does an excellent job of illuminating an often-overlooked aspect of World War II--namely; the story of the service rendered by American chaplains.This book includes many brief vignettes of a variety of chaplains; including Protestant; Catholic; and Jewish chaplains; as well as the experiences of chaplains in the various different military services and operational theaters. But what shines through most in this book is the exceptional devotion of the vast majority of American military chaplains to their calling. Many of these chaplains were generous and sacrificial; truly living out their religious convictions; and providing their fellow soldiers with invaluable care; counsel; and encouragement; often in the face of horrendous conditions.Dorsett also does an excellent job of highlighting various aspects of the whole chaplain experience; including how chaplains from different faith traditions and even racial backgrounds learned from one another; and in essence lived out a more democratic; integrated life long before America's armed services themselves became integrated. He also highlights just how truly evil and barbaric the Nazis and Japanese were in many instances. This book also contains several dramatic accounts of how many chaplains intentionally went into harm's way to offer front-line soldiers much-needed spiritual support in the midst of combat.This book is by no means an exhaustive history of the role military chaplains in America's World War II military operations; but this book does a good job of introducing this often-overlooked aspect of World War II to general readers. I would recommend this book to those who are considering possibly entering the chaplaincy; as well as those who are interested in the religious lives of many American soldiers during World War II. I certainly learned a good deal from reading this book; and I'm sure others will; too!